Toronto Mayor ‘Sorry’ For Crude Remark, Seeks Help

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford apologized Thursday for obscene remarks he made to reporters earlier in the day and acknowledged for the first time that he is getting professional help for his drinking problem.

In a brief statement to reporters, with his wife, Renata, by his side, the embattled mayor — who has already acknowledged smoking crack cocaine — said that he has been under “tremendous, tremendous stress” for the past six months. He also said he was getting health-care “support.”

Afterward, the premier of Ontario indicated for the first time that the provincial government might intervene, calling the Ford spectacle “truly disturbing.”

The city also announced that school trips to city hall were “postponed until further notice because of an unsafe environment,” Councilor Karen Stintz said.